Bring a Friend

By Nadia Oxford     September 06, 2006

It's a common exclamation. You're settled on the couch watching an anime masterpiece like "Grave of the Fireflies", and your parents or your roommate or your dog walks in and says, "Hey, isn't this like that Pokemon thing?"

If Grave of the Fireflies' vivid images of wartime suffering and tragedy didn't drive you to tears, such an observation surely will. In such instances, it's tempting to pull yourself up from the chesterfield and fetch a knife, but a little consideration is recommended before any regrettable actions are taken. "Pokemon" is a broad term with which to brand anime, but the again, the observer can't be blamed entirely; anime itself is broad in itself, and such interludes are a good opportunity to start educating your friend.

It's also a good opportunity to ask yourself just how much you know about anime. You might be a breathing Wikipedia right now, but what was your early love affair with Japan like? Clumsy, fumbled attempts at expressing your affection for your grainy Sailor Moon VHS subs ("Which are sooo much better than the censored crap they air in America") on a text-based BBS? Perhaps an Evangelion shirt was involved, an iron-on transfer that was washed away after one whirl in the laundry. You were exuberant, but ultimately you were a little silly. We all were. Gently introducing (interested) friends to anime and eliminating at least one more drive-by misconception is a noble gesture.

But how do you do it without scaring away your quarry? Let's face it, plunging headlong into anime is like diving into an icy stream; it can be an exhilarating new experience, but the shock might stop your friend's heart before he or she has a chance to have fun, especially if there's no previous exposure to Japanese culture.

Anime fans have a wide variety of opinions on the "mainstream" offerings found on cable's animation-oriented networks like Cartoon Network in America or Teletoon and YTV in Canada. Popular series such as "Dragonball Z," "Naruto," and "Inuyasha" have been picked up by these stations, dubbed and aired ...and often sanitized for swearing, violence and even Japanese in-jokes and language puns, puritan fans complain.

Censorship of anime in America has been a hot internet topic for a long time, and is one of the main reasons some hardcore fans turn up their noses at what Cartoon Network has to offer. While it's true an anime can lose its grace or even its original message when it's handled in such a manner, networks' efforts have also brought some of Japan's best series to new audiences who otherwise would never have had the chance to experience animation from across the ocean. As tempted as you might be to tell your friend that anime goes way beyond Cartoon Network, resist. See what piques their interest, then get into the internet fansubs, message boards and spangled cosplay if they want to go the extra mile. If they don't, nothing wrong with that. Censorship debates aside, American anime dubs have come a long way since our parents watched "Speed Racer."

Ultimately, anime's cable offerings are still a bit sparse when compared to what's available at import and specialty stores. Popular cable-based content includes action, ninjas and giant robots. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with ninjas and giant robots, it's good to remember there's more to the genre than fights and monster collecting, especially since choreographed martial arts battles isn't everyone's cup of sake.

A great series for an anime novice to get into is the popular "Azumanga Daioh," based on the manga series by Kiyohiko Azmua. "Azumanga" chronicles the high school life of a small group of high school girls as they attend classes and extracurricular activities. Although the premise sounds a little dull, the actual product is anything but. A good deal of the series' humour lies between the cast's chemistry. Hyperactive Tomo compliments the dry wisdom of her bespectacled childhood friend, Yomi, the innocence of ten-year-old Chiyo seems more pronounced as she stands in the shadow of the quietly intimidating Sakaki, and airheaded Osaka is in a world of her own.

A significant portion of Azumanga's humour still relies on Japanese puns and references to the school system that outsiders might not readily pick up on, but each of the anime's DVDs, which contain several short episodes, are packed with helpful cards that cue viewers into the more obscure bits of comedy. Luckily, there are still plenty of sight and character gags that need no introduction, such as big, gentle Sakaki's failed attempts at making friends with a stray black cat in her neighbourhood, and Tomo's experience with the "Legend of the Suggestion Box." While Azumanga succeeds almost effortlessly at drawing fans to its characters with comedy, there are subtly serious moments as well; Chiyo, skipped ahead to high school because of her remarkable talent for studying, watches her old grade school friends and remembers what it was like to play and study with them.

Movies are another great way to introduce a newcomer to anime. There are a good deal of movies that are spin-offs of popular anime series, and while some full-length viewings require at least a small knowledge of the series they're based on, others work well as stand-alone movies. Some of the movies based on Toriyama's wildly popular "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z" series are ideal for quick, potent hits of crazy martial arts.

Not every anime movie is plotted around a pre-existing series. In fact, Japan is more apt than most other countries to use animation as a powerful means of story-telling. Movies range from deadly serious, such as the afore mentioned "Grave of the Fireflies", to whimsical and fantastic, such as Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces "Howl's Moving Castle" and the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away," where a girl must outsmart spirits and gods to save her parents.

Armed with knowledge and enthusiasm though you may be, you still might not score a new conversion to anime, and your friend might just go on with the Pokemon thing. Still, be patient and understanding. If anime has taught us anything, it's that friends are valuable and downright necessary when you're pitted against soulless demons who will never know the power of love and friendship until you blast it in their ugly faces.